Ras protein (or p21) has been examined extensively because mutant forms are found in 20% of most types of human cancer and greater than 50% of colon and pancreatic carcinomas (Gibbs J. B., Cell, 1991;65:1, Cartwright T. et al., Chimica. Oggi., 1992; 10:26). These mutant ras proteins are deficient in the capability for feedback regulation that is present in native ras, and this deficiency is associated with their oncogenic action since the ability to stimulate normal cell division cannot be controlled by the normal endogenous regulatory cofactors. The recent discovery that the transforming activity of mutant ras is critically dependent on post-translational modifications (Gibbs J. et al., Microbiol. Rev., 1989;53:171) has unveiled an important aspect of ras function and identified novel prospects for cancer therapy.
In addition to cancer, there are other conditions of uncontrolled cellular proliferation that may be related to excessive expression and/or function of native ras proteins. Post-surgical vascular restenosis and atherosclerosis are such conditions. The use of various surgical revascularization techniques such as saphenous vein bypass grafting, endarterectomy, and transluminal coronary angioplasty are often accompanied by complications due to uncontrolled growth of neointimal tissue, known as restenosis. The biochemical causes of restenosis are poorly understood and numerous growth factors and protooncogenes have been implicated (Naftilan A. J. et al., Hypertension, 1989;13:706 and J. Clin. Invest., 83:1419; Gibbons G. H. et al., Hypertension, 1989;14:358; Satoh T. et al., Molec. Cell. Biol., 1993;13:3706). The fact that ras proteins are known to be involved in cell division processes makes them a candidate for intervention in many situations where cells are dividing uncontrollably. In direct analogy to the inhibition of mutant ras related cancer, blockade of ras dependant processes has the potential to reduce or eliminate the inappropriate tissue proliferation associated with restenosis or atherosclerosis, particularly in those instances where normal ras expression and/or function is exaggerated by growth stimulatory factors. See, for example, Kohl et al., Nature Med., 1995;1(8):792-748.
Ras functioning is dependent upon the modification of the proteins in order to associate with the inner face of plasma membranes. Unlike other membrane-associated proteins, ras proteins lack conventional transmembrane or hydrophobic sequences and are initially synthesized in a cytosol soluble form. Ras protein membrane association is triggered by a series of post-translational processing steps that are signaled by a carboxyl terminal amino acid consensus sequence that is recognized by protein farnesyl transferase (PFT). This consensus sequence consists of a cysteine residue located four amino acids from the carboxyl terminus, followed by two lipophilic amino acids, and the C-terminal residue. The sulfhydryl group of the cysteine residue is alkylated by farnesyl pyrophosphate in a reaction that is catalyzed by protein farnesyl transferase. Following prenylation, the C-terminal three amino acids are cleaved by an endoprotease and the newly exposed alpha-carboxyl group of the prenylated cysteine is methylated by a methyl transferase. The enzymatic processing of ras proteins that begins with farnesylation enables the protein to associate with the cell membrane. Mutational analysis of oncogenic ras proteins indicate that these post-translational modifications are essential for transforming activity. Replacement of the consensus sequence cysteine residue with other amino acids gives a ras protein that is no longer farnesylated, fails to migrate to the cell membrane and lacks the ability to stimulate cell proliferation (Hancock J. F. et al., Cell, 1989;57:1617; Schafer W. R. et al., Science, 1989;245:379; Casey P. J., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 1989;86:8323).
Recently, protein farnesyl transferases (PFTs), also referred to as farnesyl proteintransferases (FPTs), have been identified and a specific PFT from rat brain was purified to homogeneity (Reiss Y. et al., Bioch. Soc. Trans., 1992;20:487-88). The enzyme was characterized as a heterodimer composed of one alpha-subunit (49 kDa) and one beta-subunit (46 kDa), both of which are required for catalytic activity. High level expression of mammalian PFT in a baculovirus system and purification of the recombinant enzyme in active form has also been accomplished (Chen W. -J. et al., J. Biol. Chem., 1993;268:9675).
In light of the foregoing, the discovery that the function of oncogenic ras proteins is critically dependent on their post-translational processing provides a means of cancer chemotherapy through inhibition of the processing enzymes. The identification and isolation of a protein farnesyl transferase that catalyzes the addition of a farnesyl group to ras proteins provides a promising target for such intervention. Ras farnesyl transferase inhibitors have been shown to have anticancer activity in several recent articles.
Ras inhibitor agents act by inhibiting farnesyl transferase, the enzyme responsible for the post-translational modification of the ras protein which helps to anchor the protein product of the ras gene to the cell membrane. The role of the ras mutation in transducing growth signals within cancer cells relies on the protein being in the cell membrane so with farnesyl transferase inhibited, the ras protein will stay in the cytosol and be unable to transmit growth signals: these facts are well-known in the literature.
A peptidomimetic inhibitor of farnesyl transferase B956 and its methyl ester B 1086 at 100 mg/kg have been shown to inhibit tumor growth by EJ-1 human bladder carcinoma, HT1080 human fibrosarcoma and human colon carcinoma xenografts in nude mice (Nagasu T. et al., Cancer Res., 1995;55:5310-5314). Furthermore, inhibition of tumor growth by B956 has been shown to correlate with inhibition of ras posttranslational processing in the tumor. Other ras farnesyl transferase inhibitors have been shown to specifically prevent ras processing and membrane localization and are effective in reversing the transformed phenotype of mutant ras containing cells (Sepp-Lorenzino L. et al., Cancer Res., 1995;55:5302-5309).
In another report (Sun J. et al., Cancer Res., 1995;55:4243-4247), a ras farnesyl transferase inhibitor FTI276 has been shown to selectively block tumor growth in nude mice of a human lung carcinoma with K-ras mutation and p53 deletion. In yet another report, daily administration of a ras farnesyl transferase inhibitor L-744,832 caused tumor regression of mammary and salivary carcinomas in ras transgenic mice (Kohl et al., Nature Med., 1995;1(8):792-748). Thus, ras farnesyl transferase inhibitors have benefit in certain forms of cancer, particularly those dependent on oncogenic ras for their growth. However, it is well-known that human cancer is often manifested when several mutations in important genes occurs, one or more of which may be responsible for controlling growth and metastases. A single mutation may not be enough to sustain growth and only after two of three mutations occur, tumors can develop and grow. It is therefore difficult to determine which of these mutations may be primarily driving the growth in a particular type of cancer. Thus, ras farnesyl transferase inhibitors can have therapeutic utility in tumors not solely dependent on oncogenic forms of ras for their growth. For example, it has been shown that various ras FT-inhibitors have antiproliferative effects in vivo against tumor lines with either wild-type or mutant ras (Sepp-Lorenzino, supra.). In addition, there are several ras-related proteins that are prenylated. Proteins such as R-Ras2/TC21 are ras-related proteins that are prenylated in vivo by both farnesyl transferase and geranylgeranyl transferase I (Carboni et al., Oncogene, 1995; 10:1905-1913). Therefore, ras farnesyl transferase inhibitors could also block the prenylation of the above proteins and therefore would then be useful in inhibiting the growth of tumors driven by other oncogenes.
With regard to the restenosis and vascular proliferative diseases, it has been shown that inhibition of cellular ras prevents smooth muscle proliferation after vascular injury in vivo (Indolfi C. et al., Nature Med., 1995;1(6):541-545). This report definitively supports a role for farnesyl transferase inhibitors in this disease, showing inhibition of accumulation and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle.